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Title: Formononetin, an isoflavone, relaxes rat isolated aorta through endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent pathways. Author: Wu JH, Li Q, Wu MY, Guo DJ, Chen HL, Chen SL, Seto SW, Au AL, Poon CC, Leung GP, Lee SM, Kwan YW, Chan SW. Journal: J Nutr Biochem; 2010 Jul; 21(7):613-20. PubMed ID: 19570671. Abstract: We evaluated the vasorelaxation effects of formononetin, an isoflavone/phytoestrogen found abundantly in Astragalus mongholicus Bunge, on rat isolated aorta and the underlying mechanisms involved. Cumulative administration of formononetin, genistein, daidzein and biochanin A relaxed phenylephrine-preconstricted aorta. Formononetin and biochanin A caused a similar magnitude of relaxation whereas daidzein was least potent. Mechanical removal of endothelium, L-NAME (100 microM) and methylene blue (10 microM) suppressed formononetin-induced relaxation. Formononetin increased endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS), but not inducible NO synthase, activity with an up-regulation of eNOS mRNA and p-eNOS(Ser1177) protein expression. In endothelium-denuded preparations, formononetin-induced vasorelaxation was significantly reduced by glibenclamide (3 microM) and iberiotoxin (100 nM), and a combination of glibenclamide (3 microM) plus iberiotoxin (100 nM) abolished the relaxation. In contrast, formononetin-elicited endothelium-independent relaxation was not altered by ICI 182,780 (10 microM, an estrogen receptor (ER alpha/ER beta) antagonist) or mifepristone (10 microM, a progesterone receptor antagonist). In single aortic smooth muscle cells, formononetin caused opening of iberiotoxin-sensitive Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels and glibenclamide-sensitive adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent K(+) (K(ATP)) channels. Thus, our results suggest that formononetin caused vascular relaxation via endothelium/NO-dependent mechanism and endothelium-independent mechanism which involves the activation of BK(Ca) and K(ATP) channels.[Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]